Nassau County, Florida

Nassau County: Where tourism and industry intersect with great results.

The East Nassau Community Planning Area and its Wildlight development may get more attention from the casual observer, with its mixed-use plans and visibility off of I-95. But another major development project tucked away in the western part of Nassau County may have more of an economic and job-creating impact.

The Crawford Diamond Industrial Park is an 1,800-acre site entitled for up to 10.5 million square feet of “heavy” industrial space, says Laura DiBella, executive director of the Nassau County Economic Development Board.

“Nothing small will land at this site,” she says. “We’re going after the heaviest of the heavy.”

What sets Crawford apart from other industrial sites is its location at the intersection of two Class I railroad lines (CSX and Norfolk Southern), DiBella says. It’s also within a two-hour drive of four deep-water ports.

Nassau County has long had a reputation as a vacation spot with two high-end oceanfront resorts, the Omni Amelia Island Plantation and the Ritz-Carlton, as well as the historic town of Fernandina Beach.

However, the Crawford and Wildlight projects promise to bring new industrial growth that will not only benefit Nassau County residents but also a skilled workforce of 800,000 people who live within a 60-minute drive, says DiBella. She says interest among manufacturers is strong.

“The region as a whole will benefit and gain from the significant presence of yet another large advanced manufacturer choosing Northeast Florida as its home,” she says.

Nobody crashed in Monday’s first hours of the new “wrong way” interchange in Miami. But that’s because Miami cops guided confused drivers in the manner of a first-grade teacher keeping wayward students in line on the first day of school.